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12 Things Readers Really Want Nonreaders to Know
Every reader has friends or family members who just don't get it. "Why do you read so much?" they might ask, staring at your overflowing bookshelves or your Reading Challenge on Goodreads. "I haven't read an entire book in years."
Oh, those poor, unfortunate souls… Haven't they heard about the very real scientific benefits of reading—like stress reduction and improved sleep? We asked our followers on Facebook and Twitter to share one thing about the comfort, joy, and importance of reading they wish nonreaders could understand. Check out some of our favorite responses below!
1. "Best therapy money can buy…or borrow for free with a library card. Reading helps me sleep, helps me forget about the day, and helps me relax in general." -Sarah
2. "Opening a beer when you get home will reward you for an hour. Opening a book when you get home will reward you for life." -Douglass
3. "Reading teaches you empathy, and it really gives you a chance to examine all the grey areas of life. You get to think about and see things from other perspectives—it's awesome!" -Nyeisha
4. "I feel like I have friends all over the world, through space and time, who I can visit whenever I need a break from my own life." -Kat
5. "Books are better than the movie. There is so much going on in the minds of the characters that movies can't show. To really understand the movie characters you love, read the book." -Linda
6. "The smells of books, whether they're new and old, are enjoyable and pair well with tea or coffee. People who are loathe to read are missing out on smell-o-vision." -Ian
7. "It's one of the ultimate escapes. You can forget where you are and who you are. There have been times I've gone to Middle-earth and Hogwarts and Narnia in my head just to survive… Everyone should have that blessed escape." -Ruby
8. "The more I read the easier it is to express what I am thinking or feeling. Thanks to books, I have the words." -Melanie
9. "You will always have friends. Real life doesn't always hand you the right people. But a book is the perfect place to find your people whenever you need them." -Gillian
10. "Don't give up on reading just because you tried one or two books that didn't do it for you. Keep trying, and I'm sure you will find your niche or genre. When you do, you'll be so glad you did!" -Wes
11. "Reading to me is like unconditional love. I always feel like I'm home when I read a book." -Susan
12. "Used correctly, a book can transport the reader on an instant mental vacation with no jet lag, TSA, or dysentery!" -Todd
Tell us how you share your love of books with nonreaders in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Readers' Favorite Books of 2017…So Far
Goodreads Hack: Your Guide to Book Giveaways
7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
(Top image credit: The Princess Bride)
Comments Showing 1-50 of 170 (170 new)
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Patricia
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Jun 30, 2017 06:01AM
Reading is dreaming with your eyes open
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Reading a book is a sensual, physical and mental journey into the heart and mind of an expressive person. The feel of a book anchors me as i venture into a journey of imagination.
It let's me explore times and places I'll never get to go in reality. Much like movies, it's an escape from real life, but sometimes accidentally teaches me things or gets me curious enough to do some research about a subject I didn't know I wanted to know about until then.
Reading is a better addiction than cigarettes.
Reading is a good way of getting to know yourself. Dozens of characters have helped me to understand the inner workings of my own mind much more than my parents, friends or teachers ever have. I think it's because the characters's feelings are so viscerally exposed on paper.
Oh the places you will go and the people you meet. It's an adventure.#12 I totally agree.
Reading caustic truth, is like dumping Drano through the knotted pipes of my brain. I have to endure an inconvenient walk to the store, and then put up a "temporarily unavailable" sign on the bathroom. The fumes are potentially toxic. But it's still better than letting the gunk build up in my head, one day needing to take a shower in a rush, and finding my life, flooded.
I certainly agree with #4 and #7. People in books may not be real, but they're great friends nonetheless. Growing up, I mostly spent my free time in Narnia. It was my way of knowing I wasn't alone and helped me through so much.
There have been studies of nonreaders to find out what they have in common. The number one and overwhelming commonality is that they are dyslexic. That is followed by being an immigrant and that is followed by people who had to start work at a very early age. If a particular nonreader did not meet the second and third categories I think I would advise the nonreader to be tested for dyslexia. There are alternative ways for dyslexics to read. By the way, I have a reading disability myself. I am blind. I use alternative methods of reading every day and I am a voracious reader.
With a book you're always in good company!With a book you're never alone!
The book is your best friend!
Reading is an escapism that may not always be possible to attain in reality
I just want a non reader to know that books comfort me in a way people never could, so yeah I bring a book wherever I go.
Reading is like music. You can't convey the effect it has on you when the person hasn't read the book. It's a way to express yourself implicitly. I couldn't live without books.
Roger wrote: "There have been studies of nonreaders to find out what they have in common. The number one and overwhelming commonality is that they are dyslexic. That is followed by being an immigrant and that is..."You should read Not If I See You First; I think you'd like it.
Yes! Well said, about everything!Reading helps me forget about reality and explore the different subcategories of life! Reading makes me feel wise, confident and alive.
Every time I finish a book, I like to spend some time wandering the house, just thinking about it. I also love to dream with all those new ideas in my head. Readers have the best dreams.
Great list. Numbers 3, 10, 12 sum it up for me!
Be able to get into the world of words and see the scenarios that other person imagined, put your brain to work like no other activity.
Not only does reading make you a well-rounded speaker, you're able to express your thoughts and speak the words clearly. Reading not only improves your vocabulary, it also surmounts one's intelligence.
Books..? Hell yeah, I have a lot to say about these book people!Readers, yeah I have a lot to say about these reading, err -readers, thing too!
But first there's something we need to clarify.....
Who's this book and what's this thing called reader..?
Why is a reader like a reading desk...? <--- Wait that wasn't in the book Disney!
I'm so confused!
I'm lost... I thought this was the "How the movie was better than the book" section. The picture was very misleading and open to interpretation and I therefore move that this should be heretofore referred to as "Click Bait".
Will anyone care to second that motion? Do we have quorum yet?
Patricia wrote: "Reading is dreaming with your eyes open"Yes! I love this! It is so true <3
Jared wrote: "Books..? Hell yeah, I have a lot to say about these book people!Readers, yeah I have a lot to say about these reading, err -readers, thing too!
But first there's something we need to clarify......"
I'm flagging your comment as inappropriate.
You should be ashamed of yourself! I know I am.
Reading gives me options. Ideas transfer from page to life. The stories and situations from my reading help me when I don't know what else to do or say. Robert Frost knew which path to take..."Two roads diverged in a wood and I, I chose the one less traveled by."
"Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe ..."
If you can read Lewis Carroll's poem, "Jabberwocky," you will know what is reading ...
A good book generally provides a dimension that no other (current) form of entertainment can. It allows the reader the chance to enter into the minds and perspectives of the characters. It provides the reader the opportunity to experience all the senses and sensations of the characters. A good books stimulates thought and stirs emotions that impressions last a lifetime. Show me movie that can do all of these...
The practice of reading regularly will give the reader a better understanding of the language and provide them with better skills for communication. Little gems of knowledge and vicarious experiences will be gained by the reader and the reader will find themselves suddenly more relatable and knowledgeable than ever before. The avid reader of several genres will be able to strike up conversations with just about anyone on almost any topic. Why do people watch so much TV?
Reading is about gaining knowledge and finding your truth. It is my best friend and greatest weapon.
Reading gives me an opportunity to live so many lives other than my own. The characters living in the covers of every book pull me in to other places, other troubles and adventures, and I can travel while I'm staying in one place.
Know what makes books so great? They're cheaper to make than movies or TV, so writers are far more willing to take risks. You don't have to dig far to find something you've never seen in a movie.
No other means of communication has lasted or will ever last as long as books have. For me reading is about gaining a new perspective and feeling exactly how a person in question must have felt so long ago.
Reading for me takes me away from our harsh reality, it opens my mind as if studying for a test. Just with sometimes amazing characters and a truly good plot.
Jen wrote: "Reading for me takes me away from our harsh reality, it opens my mind as if studying for a test. Just with sometimes amazing characters and a truly good plot."I find reading a good novel to be a great escape as well.
Reading is a vacation/adventure/romance/thriller/mystery all from the comfort of a cozy chair.
People have thought that, because we're a family of readers, we have no lives. Allow me this argument: who needs one life, when you can have many, through BOOKS???
Agree with everything. You also learn a LOT about the world, even if you only read fiction. I noticed that I know a lot of things about things just from this, even if I haven't lived these things or places myself, I have some understanding.An added plus is that people that read generally have very good spelling and grammar and literacy in general.
There is nothing like being able to escape from the your problems while reading a book. Being transported to a whole different place without even going anywhere is great therapy and it helps me escape for awhile so when I come back to my problems I have a fresh mind.
It's my third year since i started reading. With every present read, my vocabulary expands and my diction and speech, polishing. Reading is such a pleasure. Such an adventure!
Reading broadens your horizons and opens your mind to a lot.
Mental release and exercise.
I remember growing up my Grandmama would explain that it was her way of free travel. She could go anywhere she wanted, see anything she liked, and be who she wished to be along with the characters or even with nonfiction books. I soon began to understand exactly what she loved when growing up. Reading is the perfect escape while simultaneously educating yourself in various ways you initially didn't think possible.
Reading allows me to "escape" my world and takes me somewhere that I feel more at home in with people I feel at home with.
I really love this list, but #2 made me laugh. There are some people I like to tell that to. :) #6 is very me.
I hate it when I'm reading, and someone says, "I don't read books" like they just one-upped me. How are you one-upping me by telling me you don't like to use your mind?
When people say they don't read, I feel like Anne Shirley, "Oh, Marilla, how much you miss."
I like a quote by Charlaine Harris, "Here's to books, the cheapest vacation you can buy."
I love 1 & 6!
Reading is like a good trip to a far-away place. The more you like it,the more you want to go back again and again..the more you want to re-read a book.It´s amazing to know that there are so many people who love to read...books can be reliable when real-life people are not.
That´s why books can be best-friends!
I totally agree with what was said before! Vacation, addiction, discovery, escape, relaxing, ...And what about the impact of reading on children?! They develop their vocabulary, intelligence, autonomy, criticism, awareness, citizenship, friendship, feelings, understanding, ...
If you don't read because of a disability, you have to explore other means. Reading is not only done through physical books. My daughter is dyslexic, but it's not a break to her thirst of books.
I think #12 is the funniest.
Max wrote: "What are you talking about, faggot?"Now that's an interesting choice of a word, "faggot". Generally speaking I can only remark that you are exhibiting particular signs commonly referred to in the vernacular as 'Trolling', but I may be mistaken perhaps you intend to refer to a bundle of sticks or iron.
Do you care to elaborate?
